- Iran has begun a six-day funeral procession for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, months after his death in the Middle East conflict.
- The ceremonies are expected to draw tens of millions of mourners and require major security measures.
- The procession is set to move through Tehran, Qom, Najaf, Karbala and Mashhad before burial.
Iran is staging a six-day funeral procession for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader who led the Islamic Republic for four decades and was killed on the first day of the U.S.-Israeli war in February.
The ceremony will begin on July 4, nearly four months after Khamenei was killed, and end on July 9. The procession will cover cities across Iran and Iraq before a final burial in Mashhad, Iran's holiest city.
The funeral, which "will be a tightly choreographed display of mourning, continuity and regime control," Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House, told CNBC, was delayed for several months due to fighting.
The event is expected to draw tens of millions of mourners, and "could reveal tensions beneath the surface," Vakil added.
The Islamic Republic is expected to enact unprecedented security measures, overseen by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, while the Basij paramilitary force will coordinate logistics, accommodation and crowd management across the various cities.
Khamenei's final resting place is in the holy city of his hometown Mashhad, which holds profound religious significance for Shia Islam, and is where his father, the previous ayatollah, is buried.
The funeral has been designed as both a national and religious procession, touching some of the most significant sites in Shia Islam in Iran and neighboring Iraq.
"This is basically a political event portrayed as a religious one. It is designed to project legitimacy at home and deterrence abroad," Alex Vatanka, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told CNBC.
July 4-5: Tehran
Public farewell ceremonies begin at Tehran's Mosalla prayer complex around 6 a.m. local time, the traditional venue for major state religious gatherings and previous funerals of senior Islamic Republic figures.
July 6: Tehran
The main funeral procession will travel approximately 10 kilometers from Imam Hossein Square to Azadi (Freedom) Square after funeral prayers for the slain Ayatollah and his family.
Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani has said attendance could reach 20 million people, potentially making it the largest gathering in the city's history.
July 7: Qom
The procession then moves to Qom, Iran's spiritual center of Shia learning.
Events will take place between the Shrine of Fatima Masoumeh and Jamkaran Mosque, two of the most important religious sites in Twelver Shiism.
July 8: Najaf and Karbala, Iraq
The body will then be transported to Iraq for ceremonies in Najaf and Karbala, home to the shrines of Imam Ali and Imam Hussein, among the holiest sites in Shia Islam. Iranian officials have coordinated preparations with Iraqi authorities for the events.
July 9: Mashhad
Khamenei will be laid to rest in Mashhad, his birthplace and Iran's holiest city.
The city is home to the shrine of Imam Reza, the eighth Imam of Shia Islam, and holds deep religious significance for millions of pilgrims. Mashhad is also where Khamenei was born and where his father is buried. Iranian authorities estimate between 8 million and 10 million people could attend the final burial ceremony.
More than 30 countries have officially requested participation, Tasnim News Agency said this week, quoting Ali Akbar Poorjamshidian of the IRGC.
Pakistan has confirmed its attendance, and He Wei, a senior Chinese lawmaker, plans to attend, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday.
No Gulf Arab government has publicly announced whether senior officials, foreign ministers or heads of state will participate.
Senior Iraqi officials, including President Nizar Amedi, will attend the funeral, Iran's Fars News Agency said on Wednesday.
The new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, would in theory want to be present and visible and mourn the death of his father alongside the nation. He has not been seen in public since his accession following his father's death. Any appearance would be read as a show of strength to the United States.
"Now come the challenges of governance, including deep economic problems, significant social discontent, the spectre of renewed hostilities and a relatively untried - and as yet, still unseen, new Supreme Leader," Naysan Rafati, Crisis Group's Iran senior analyst, told CNBC.
The scale of the event has required significant planning.
Authorities have said highways around Tehran will be converted into temporary parking zones, while schools, mosques, universities and sports halls will be used to accommodate visitors. Flights are expected to be disrupted and access to major cities tightly controlled.
Iran will be hoping to avoid another major security breach as foreign dignitaries descend on the country, like that of Masoud Pezeshkian's inauguration in July 2024, during which Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed at a military-run guest house in Tehran.<small>Source: CNBC</small>
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Iran begins six-day funeral for Ayatollah Khamenei nearly four months after his death
CNBC
July 04, 2026
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